FAQ’s
Q: How much will my cleaning cost me?
A: After being in business for almost 9 years it is our understanding that the home owner would like to see the same English speaking team on each visit as well as have a good cleaning. This is a very reasonable request. The dilemma we are faced with is the homeowner wants to spend as little as possible for a good cleaning, also very understandable, and have the same reliable English speaking team. We on the other hand want to pay our employees as much as possible to hire, reward and retain them, because we know that when an employer pays a nominal wage they are setting the stage for failure and you, the client, will see a constant stream of new faces that don’t speak English. Let’s face it; who is going to clean toilets day in and day out for minimum wage or less? Housecleaning as you know, or you wouldn’t be reading this, is very hard labor intensive work and the people doing it need to be paid accordingly.
We have chosen to pay our employees more to hire and retain them and of course this is reflected in your cleaning price. The employees are paid well and what we end up with are loyal, trustworthy staff that does the job they were trained to do. We don’t have to worry about the IRS, INS or supporting the illegal hiring practices that this industry is so well known for.
Here is how we determine the price to clean your home. (You may consider this too much information however, it is our hope to reduce the mystified stares or the pregnant pauses we often encounter while quoting a cleaning price.) So here it is…. Once we have established how long it will take a team of 2 to clean your home and make you happy, we multiply that cleaning time by their hourly rate. Then we add in the Social Security and Medicare tax that has to be matched by us the employer. We then add in the state unemployment tax which is different for everyone but usually around 5%. Then we have our overhead, which consists of all the insurance we carry to protect you the homeowner and us the business owner, rent, supplies, gas, vehicles etc. That breaks down to about $20-25 dollars per clean. As a legitimate taxpaying company we are also in business to earn a living. We don’t want to swap dollars between you and the employees, so we add in a profit margin. At the end of the day your cleaning works out being about $35.00 per labor hour. An example would be if a team of two was in your home for 1 and 1/2 hours, or 3 labor hours, the cost would be $105.00. That is about the average price for an average home with normal cleaning requirements. Hope this helps.
Q: Why should I choose a professional house cleaning service to clean my home?
A: Hiring a professional house cleaning company means your home will be cleaned from top to bottom in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it on your time off. Your whole house is cleaned all at once, versus dusting one day, vacuuming another, bathrooms on Friday etc. We, as professional house cleaners know where the dirt lurks and can eradicate it before your mother in- law finds it! We also give you the time to do what you want to do, whether it be a favorite hobby, spending time with the kids or just relaxing.
Q: Am I responsible for Workers Compensation insurance, Local or Federal taxes when you are working in my home?
A: Because you are hiring a legitimate company, versus an individual you might hire from a friend of a friend, all the necessary payroll taxes are taken out. Worker’s Compensation insurance is mandated for companies that operate with employees in the State of Massachusetts.
Q: Are you insured and bonded?
A: Hopefully you wouldn’t hire an Electrician or Plumber to work in your home without verifiying that they are insured. The same is true for House Cleaners. Don’t be fooled by the notion that they are just cleaning your home. There are many documented catastrophic situations that homeowners have experienced because their service provider didn’t carry insurance. You don’t want to be a poster child for your homeowners insurance.
We carry $2,000,000 in liability insurance. An insurance certificate will be provided to you prior to service.
Q: Do I have to be home when you clean?
A: Most of our clients are not home when we clean and prefer to give us a key or garage code. An alarm system can be shut off, or you can give us an access code.
Q: Is my key safe?
A: Your key will never have your name and address on it. All keys are coded and kept in a locked safe when not being used to access your home for cleaning. If your key was ever lost, we have the necessary insurance to cover key replacement and re-keying of your locks.
Q: Will I always have the same team clean my home?
A: Because our cleaning staff are paid and treated well, our turnover rate is very low. Barring sickness or vacations, you will see the same team each time.
Q: Do you bring your own cleaning supplies?
A: We bring all of our own environmentally safe cleaning products, including vacuums and mops. We do not bring any ammonia or bleach into your home as they can be very toxic, not to mention the havoc they can wreak if spilled on a carpet! The two major companies we use for our cleaning products are Shaklee and Melaleuca. Sebo upright vacuums are used on carpets, and Miele canister vacs are used on bare-floors and upholstery. We use inter- changeable terry cloth mop heads on our mop bases, so we are not bringing a dirty mop from another home into your home and we aren’t submerging the mop into a bucket of dirty water. Each mop head is sprayed with floor cleaner then removed when soiled. The mop heads are washed and sanitized at the end of each day. Kitchen and bathroom floors are done on hands and knees.
Q: What towns do you offer cleaning service in?
A: We service the following towns; Acton, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Clinton, Carlisle, Concord, Harvard, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Littleton, Lancaster, Maynard, Northborough, Southborough, Sudbury, Sterling, Stow, Shrewsbury, Westford, Westborough, Weston, and Wayland. If your town is not listed, just give us a call and we can arrange service.
Q: Do you do one time cleaning or move in/ move out cleaning?
A: Yes, we do and that type of cleaning is charged on an hourly per person per hour basis. It is typically $35.00 per person per hour.
Q: Do you guarantee your service?
A: All of our work is 100% guaranteed. If you are not happy with your cleaning, simply call us within 24 hours and we will come back and clean the area that you are not satisfied with.
